Gone With The Family

Adventures in Family Travel

The Delightful Crown Fountain In Millennium Park

Chicago, Illinois, United States / by / 41 Comments

The Crown Fountain is an interactive art installation in Millennium Park, Chicago that will delight visitors of all ages.

Emma and I were thrilled that we recently had the opportunity to spend a few summer days wandering around Chicago.  Our last few family visits to the city have been in the winter and the cold weather prevented us from doing much exploring on foot.  During a visit over a New Year’s holiday period we had stopped by Millennium Park to have a look at the Cloud Gate sculpture (better known as The Bean) but our visit was brief so we were looking forward to visiting on a warm, sunny day and spending some time discovering exactly what the park had to offer.

On our first day in Chicago, we happened (quite by accident) upon one of the more interesting art installations that I have ever seen.  We had just finished taking photos at Cloud Gate when it started to rain so we headed for The Art Institute in a hurry.  Between the two we stopped to have a look at an interesting glass tower which had water cascading down its sides.  We paused to snap a quick photo without realizing that we were approaching the fountain from the rear.

Chicago-Crown Fountain

As we walked past, we realized that the image of a person was projected onto the tower and that there were actually two towers facing each other joined by a wading pool.  If it hadn’t been raining then we would have lingered by the fountain but at that point we just wanted to get in out of the rain and taking shelter trumped curiosity.

Chicago-Crown Fountain on a Rainy Day

I didn’t know what we had stumbled upon but later looked it up in our guide book and learned that it was the Crown Fountain, designed by Spanish artist, Jaume Plensa.  The fountain consists of a shallow granite reflecting pool (which is perfect for splashing around in) and is book-ended by two 50 foot towers made of clear glass bricks.  

There are LED lights installed behind the bricks and the glass towers are used as a projection screen to display about 1000 rotating images of citizens of Chicago.  From time to time, the person on the screen purses their lips and “spits” a fountain of water to the delight of the children splashing in the pool.  This feature is intended to reference traditional fountains which have mythological creatures spouting water from their mouths.

After reading about the fountain, I knew that we had to return.  The following day we walked back to our hotel from the Shedd Aquarium via Millennium Park specifically so that we could see the fountain again.  

The weather had done a complete about-face and it was hot and occasionally sunny.  Crowds of people were sitting around the wading pool and dozens of children frolicking in it in an attempt to cool off.  It’s nearly impossible for Emma to walk by a fountain without getting wet so she joined the other children in the pool.  

I was a bit disappointed for the first few minutes as the photo projected on the tower was a landscape image of a river winding through the woods rather than the faces that we had seen the previous day.

Chicago-Crown Fountain

Thankfully, after several minutes the image of a woman’s smiling face appeared on the tower. 

Chicago-Crown Fountain

After a few more minutes, she began opening and closing her mouth and the children in the pool who clearly knew what was about to happen scrambled to get closer to her.  The image pursed her lips…

Chicago-Crown Fountain

the anticipation continued to build and then she closed her eyes…

Chicago-Crown Fountain

and, to the delight of the giggling children waiting below her mouth, she spits a fountain of refreshing water over their heads.

Chicago-Crown Fountain

Chicago-Crown Fountain

Chicago-Crown Fountain

The Crown Fountain is one art installation that is guaranteed to delight visitors of all ages but consider yourself forewarned – members of your family may end up soaking wet.

What You Need To Know

  • Crown Fountain can be found in Chicago’s Millennium Park alongside E. Randolph Street between Michigan Avenue and Columbus Avenue;
  • The images are projected on the towers year-round but the water feature operates only from mid-spring til mid-fall;
  • The attraction is FREE;
  • Open daily from 6am – 11pm;
  • Millennium Park is serviced by public transit and there are also parking garages nearby;
  • There are public restrooms available in Millennium Park. 

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Reflections in Cloud Gate

It’s Fun to be a Girl at American Girl Place Chicago

Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park

The Chicago Tribune Tower

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Steve

    Very cool fountain. Nice to see something a little more interesting than a statue as an art installation. I have to admit that I was kind of hoping for a larger spray of water. Perhaps aimed in your direction.

    Reply

  2. Lisa Wood

    now That is one very cool water fountain! How clever to design the water coming out of the mouth of people! Love it, especially as kids get to enjoy the cool water.

    Reply

  7. Mary @ The World Is A Book

    What a cool fountain and using technology to make a big splash with the kids 🙂 Absolutely perfect for the summer heat! Great job with capturing the images. I love these offbeat attractions and will need to look this up when we visit Chicago.

    Reply

  15. Keryn @ walkingon travels

    I remember when this went up. I was living in Chicago at the time. We were driving by while I guess they were testing the images. No on in the car knew what the heck was going on. Once the park officially opened we figure out that it was a fountain and thought it was pretty cool. But let me tell you, driving by at night and seeing a face all the sudden appear can be pretty freaky 🙂

    Reply

  19. Debbie Beardsley @ European Travelista

    That is awesome! I love seeing all the wonderful fountains when traveling but have never seen anything like this one. I can see why kids enjoy this so much 🙂

    Reply

  21. Sonja

    My brother just returned this week from his first visit to Chicago and told me I just had to go there. I’ve never been, and he says I’d love it! The Millennium Fountain is just another reason to go, I think!

    Reply

  23. jan

    Hi Lisa, That is an amazingly cool fountain. Kids would just love that. I wonder how many different photos they project that incorporate the water.

    Reply

  24. Becca@RWTYM?

    We LOVED this fountain when we visited Chicago 2 summers ago – there were TONS of kids on that very hot summer day!

    Great photos – I didn’t get as many!

    Thanks for linking up!

    Reply

  25. Leigh

    I’ve never heard of this fountain in Chicago but what a lucky find. I think the kid in me would come out on a hot day and I’d join in the splashing.

    Reply

  26. Cathy Sweeney

    I love Crown Fountatin! The first time I saw it I was totally taken by surprise. Guess we just missed each other in Chicago — I was there this week. I never get enough of that city.

    Reply

  39. Andrea J

    Chicago is on my list of places to visit with my kids. So many things I want to see there. And I had not heard of this fountain. I am now adding it to my Chicago list. Looks like fun. Love your site!

    Reply

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